


Braving It

by disasterwyatt



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mutual Pining, School Reunion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disasterwyatt/pseuds/disasterwyatt
Summary: Ben receives an invitation to his high school reunion and is sent into a spiral of indecision. Should he go along and leave his past behind? Arriving alone would be a sure-fire way for his peers to target him for his failures, but not arriving at all just confirms their beliefs about him, the disgraced ex-mayor impeached at age 18 amounting to nothing in his adulthood.Maybe, he can find a reason to go. Maybe that reason is Leslie Knope.
Relationships: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32
Collections: Parks Fanfic Revival 2020





	Braving It

**Author's Note:**

> This is set as a replacement for 'Road Trip', so all events leading up to 03x14 are canon, especially their pining.

Shit.

Ben blinks once, or twice, maybe, three times to adjust his tired eyes to his phone screen, lit up by the notification of an email.

_ Subject _ _: Former Partridge Senior Secondary School Students, Welcoming You Back After 18 Years_

Fuck. His breathing turns shaky and his fingers dive into his hair, combing through the dark brown strands nervously, before resting his head in his palms, elbows on the desk. He was not prepared to have a panic attack at work, even if it was 8pm and only himself and the cleaners were present to witness it.

He reluctantly opens the email, scouring for more information. The reunion wasn’t for another month, but he needed to reserve a place in the next few days if he wanted to go, with the option of a plus one. Ben scoffs at his phone, there would be no need for that option for him. It’s not like he made many friends or cemented any intimate relationships across Indiana in the towns he’d slashed the budgets of. Pawnee had been the exception, of course.

Admittedly, he had made some friends since staying in the town. He lived with Andy and April, shared monotone pleasantries with Ron on the occasion, was bullied relentlessly, but hopefully lovingly, by Tom and listened to Donna when she spoke about her recent favourite shows she’d been live tweeting. But where Ben had really met his match was in the passionate Deputy Director of the Parks Department, Leslie Knope. 

Him and Leslie had been the dream team of the Harvest Festival. Their work ethic worked hand in hand with Leslie's enthusiasm being balanced out by Ben's rationality and they had managed to hold the week-long Harvest Festival successfully. Their dorky handshake made others cringe while they would laugh and indulge in the cheesiness. She was the closest he had to a best friend he'd had in years, which would crush poor Chris to find out. What could he say? He enjoyed Leslie's company, sometimes far too much, to the point where his eyes would flicker to her lips while she spoke to him and his mind would wonder whether they felt as soft as they looked.

Luckily for his temptations, Chris had his workplace rules wherein colleagues could not have relations in order to maintain impartiality in the budget. Besides, who knows how long it'll be until Pawnee turns against him, much like the rest of Indiana had when he hacked away at public services to fund their government. He'd been used to collective hatred since he was the fresh, 18-year-old mayor of Partridge, impeached for bankrupting the city by attempting to build a winter sports complex called Ice Town. 

With the sound of a whirring vacuum nearing, Ben decides that his reflections are better to be saved for home. Gathering his possessions together, he leaves City Hall, making way for his car, checking his watch. 8:34pm. Stephanie would be free now, right?

He unlocks his Saturn and slides in, the sun beaming down on the dashboard. He pulls out his phone and taps at the screen until he finds his sister's contact and calls her. As it rings, he switches it to speaker and places the phone down beside him on the passenger seat while he turns the ignition. 

"Benji! My favourite brother!" Stephanie's voice projects in the car.

"Keep your voice down, you don't want Henry hearing that."

"You say that as if nothing's changed around here and we're all still kids living at home." 

"Well, funnily enough, home is why I'm calling you."

"I assume you got your reunion invitation?" Her voice quietens, as if to soften a blow. She knew home for Ben was a sensitive subject.

"You don't have to step on eggshells around me, Steph. I'm an adult now and it's been eighteen years, I'm barely affected by it anymore." Ben's fingers stiffen around the steering wheel, indicating he'd caught himself in his own lie. "How'd you know about the reunion anyway?"

"They only bring out Fred the Sled for special occasions, remember?"

"How is this high school reunion different to any of the other reunions?"

Silence. Ben realises his own naivety.

"Right," he sucks in a harsh breath, fixing his eyes on the road, "it's because of me then."

"You don't have to go if you don't want to, you know? It might be better off for you if you don't, right? You're doing better and you've settled somewhere for now, and you've clearly learned from your mistakes, Benji. You prove yourself each time you save a town from bankruptcy." 

He stops at a red light and rubs his forehead with his hand. "I know, I know."

"So you're not gonna come?"

"That reason is exactly why I should go." Saying it aloud makes it sound a lot less convincing than it seemed in his head, "I have to go to prove myself to them that I _have_ changed. They're just expecting me to have done nothing worthy in the last eighteen years, Steph."

"You should go with someone."

Ben notices a shift in her voice, as if she was smiling while she spoke, meaning she had an idea of some sort. "I'm not taking my sister to my high school reunion, that's as lame as you can get."

"Harsh, but also no, not me."

"Who do you suppose I could drag eleven hours to Minnesota then? It's not like I'm in a relationship or anything right now."

"What about Leslie?"

Ben's cheeks begin to burn red, "For the last time, we're friends, Steph!"

"You talk an awful lot about just one friend, Benji. Besides, who says you can't bring a _friend_ to your reunion?"

His voice turns stern, "Nothing can happen between me and her, we'd lose our jobs because of Chris' rules and it'd just be easier to not act on instinct."

"Who said anything about something happening between the two of you? It, for sure, wasn't me, maybe your cell signal is dropping out and you're hearing things from deep within your brain." 

"Shut up." Ben laughs, pulling into the driveway and turning off the car, "I'll bring someone, sure. It might be best to have someone to lean on when I start to have 'Ice Clown' chanted at me."

"I'd really like to meet her."

Ben rolls his eyes, leaning his forehead against the steering wheel and turning his head towards the passenger seat to look at his phone. "Maybe. One day."

"I'll let you go now. Just," Stephanie pauses, "think about it, okay? I think you'd have a lot more fun going along with her."

He smiles. He's always trusted his sister's judgement and he wasn't going to doubt it now. "Okay. I'll ask. Talk to you soon, Steph. I love you."

"Love you too, Benji."

With one tap on his phone, Stephanie's voice no longer filled the car.

Ben exhales, clawing at his hair, making it stick up in all the wrong places as he navigates his way back to the email. He hovers over the 'reserve place' link for a second, until he gives in and draws his finger to the other link 'reserve place (plus one)'. He clicks on it and he receives a confirmation email, validating his place as well as a plus one's.

He'll ask her tomorrow.

Or maybe, the day after.

* * *

How about the day before?

Ben's inner turmoil led him here. Each week leading up to the reunion, Stephanie had texted him, 'have you asked her yet?', to which Ben's reply was, 'not yet', 'too busy', 'doesn't feel right'. That morning was no different, and upon waking up, Ben was greeted to several angry emojis directed right at him, courtesy of his sister.

_"Today or never."_

The words really hit this time. He knew Leslie too well to know that she wouldn't be able to handle the spontaneity of a hurried message from himself saying "pack your bags, you're coming to Minnesota with me" tomorrow morning. Today or never.

He devised a plan as he got himself ready for the day, buttoning his plaid shirt. They could go and get lunch together, and he could drop it into conversation. Maybe lunch was too forward. He didn't want to force her into anything. What if he brought her waffles and asked for a favour? That could be considered bribery in Chris' eyes.

By the time Ben had run through all of the possible 'what ifs', it was 4:57pm. Shit.

Apparently, he'd spaced out for around thirty minutes while Chris spoke about his latest fitness revelations. Ben didn't care to know that Chris' personal favourite organ was the heart, because it's the strongest muscle in the body. Instead, he'd been fumbling with the strap of his bag as he watched the seconds count down to 5pm.

As soon as the clock struck five, Ben was on his feet, mumbling a rushed goodbye to Chris as he strode out of the office and down the hall before he could receive an answer. 

It'd be unlikely that Leslie would be leaving for home at 5pm. It'd be more like her to stick around a couple more hours, but Ben needed her to go home to pack if she agrees to come. Ben hadn't even exactly considered the consequences of Leslie declining his invitation. Would it be weird between them two if she declines? Is he trying to trap her in?

Once again, his overthinking had led him to the point where he had lost track of where he was and what he was doing, and much to his surprise, he was stood outside the Parks and Recreation department.

He entered the office, trying to not think too much about it, exchanging a nod with Ron as he collected his belongings to go home. Tom and Jean-Ralphio were obnoxiously singing, harmonising terribly with one another, but it seemed to make them happy, so who was he to judge? Andy and April were practically already out of the door, racing each other down the government corridors.

And Ben could just about spy Leslie in her office, flipping through one of her many binders. He smirked upon sight of her. Had she done something different to her hair today? It seemed curlier, maybe brighter? It looked so beautiful, he almost wanted to just reach out and touch it.

God. What was he thinking?

"Hello, Mr Wyatt."

He snaps back to reality, blinking several times to adjust his vision to her office and locking his eyes with hers.

"Earth to Ben." She snaps her fingers in front of him, "What are you doing here? It's home time and a Friday! You get to go home and watch your nerdy shows all weekend."

"Is that all you think I do? Watch TV in my free time?"

"I've no reason to believe otherwise," She smiles, mocking him with her playful tone, lifting her head up to look at him, "Why? Have you got other plans?"

The sharp realisation as to why Ben was stood in Leslie's office at this time hit and he gulps. "Uh, yeah... About those plans..." He adjusts his bag strap, fiddling with loose threads between his fingers, "I need a favour."

"No, you are not allowed to read your Star Trek fanfiction to me. That's where I draw the line, Wyatt."

He nervously laughs, scratching the back of his head, keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

"Is everything okay? What's up?" Her voice turned soft and mellow. It soothes Ben and he smiles, his eyes filling with warmth as he takes a seat across from her desk.

"I'm going to Partridge this weekend," he bows his head to look at his hands as he picks at his fingernails, "for my high school reunion. Eighteen years."

Leslie scoffs, "Eighteen years? I thought they only do those things every five or ten years?"

"They're planning to mock me, I'm pretty sure. You know, the eighteen-year-old mayor, disgracefully impeached because he liked winter sports a bit too much." His self-deprecating humour attempts to lift the solemn feel of the room but Leslie's eyes are fixed on his, listening to every word he's saying. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask if-"

"Yes."

Ben blinks at her. "Yes, what?"

"I'll come with you to Partridge."

He exhales, happily, "Thank you so much." His laugh lifts the tension from his _everywhere_ , after a whole month of overthinking this moment, she was happy to help him out. She's such a good friend.

"No problem," she notices him easing, "you're a great guy, and I'd love to help you stick it to your hometown as your hot girlfriend after they caused you so much pain."

Ben smiles and laughs along with Leslie.

Wait, what?

He nearly chokes on the air around him. "Hot girlfriend?"

"Which part are you questioning? The hot or the girlfriend?" Her eyes fade slightly. Her beautiful, god damn, eyes.

Flustered, Ben's words come out rushed and abrupt, "not the hot part, because you're gorgeous and any guy would be lucky to have you-" He trails off and notices her blushing. "I mean, the girlfriend part. Chris has rules, you know that."

"Of course I know the rules, Ben, but it's all for show! You get to show me off as your, in your own words, gorgeous, government girlfriend and you get to prove yourself to all of those people!"

He's almost certain that the English language has no meaning anymore as he struggles to find the words to respond. "If you're offering, then sure." He manages to utter.

For a moment, he swears he can see the life coming back into her eyes. She jumps out of her chair, immediately rushing over to a pile of binders, pulling out a bulky, neon orange folder.

"Here's a binder, sorted alphabetically on everything you need to know about me so you can really sell me to those jerks."

She carries on speaking and Ben just watches her contently, with his nerves just washing away from simply listening to her voice. He nods and laughs when he needs to, but keeps his eyes fixed on her mouth, on occasion flicking back to her eyes or the binder in front of him. 

"I feel bad, since I don't have any homework for you to do." He smirks, his cheeks beginning to hurt from the excessive smiling that he just can't help.

"You can tell me on the way there, I've got packing to do."

He nods at her, nerves creeping back in as he thinks of the possibilities of her finding him too boring to deal with an eleven-hour drive with. "I'll pick you up at 6."

"It's a date."

And, oh god, it actually is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the first things I've written in a long time, so I'm probably a bit rusty but I'm really excited to finish this! I've never written anything to this scale before so it's very new to me. I promise it'll pick up speed in the next chapter!
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3


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